P.R. lawmaker asks Obama to intervene in fiscal crisis

Rep. José Enrique Meléndez, sent a letter to President Obama Tuesday asking his administration to intervene and become more active in their engagement when dealing with Puerto Rico’s economic crisis.

Last week, the Office of Audit, Assessment and Management of the federal Department of Justice designated the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as a High-Risk Grantee.

This designation included a group of government agencies dealing with public safety, placing important federal funding for agencies at risk. The lawmaker’s concern also extends to Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla’s administration’s alleged unwillingness to share details about the recent communication.

“Given the dangerous situation the loss of federal funding to public safety agencies poses,” Meléndez asked that the information passed on by the federal government be shared with all members of the Legislative Assembly.

“Since we don’t have a voting delegation in Congress, the leadership of Office of the President of the United States, as chief of the executive branch of the federal government, becomes even more important,” Meléndez said. “At this critical juncture the American citizens of Puerto Rico cannot do without important federal funding to ensure public safety.”